Oklahoma Sooners are finally being shown the respect they deserve, as a ton of people continue to overlook them
The Oklahoma Sooners have some really. really good players, and five of them are up for the Phil Steele pre-season award,
The Oklahoma Sooners earned five Phil Steele Preseason All-American selections heading into the 2026 season, a strong indicator of how much talent OU returns on both sides of the ball.
Defensive tackle David Stone, long snapper Ben Anderson, and linebacker Kip Lewis all landed on the first team, while kicker Tate Sandell earned a second-team nod and wide receiver Isaiah Sategna secured a fourth-team selection. Every one of them deserves the recognition, and every one of them could have a massive 2026.
David Stone headlines the group
Stone is the headliner for obvious reasons. He’s projected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick after this season, and his 2025 tape backs that up. He finished with 42 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one pass deflection. Those numbers alone don’t capture the full picture, though.
Stone was one of the best run stoppers on the team, and his ability to shed blocks and eat up offensive linemen is something you can’t replicate. He is going to be one of the best players in college football this year.
Kip Lewis is the most underrated linebacker in the country
Lewis is a name not enough people are talking about nationally, and that needs to change. He finished last year with 76 combined tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and four pass deflections. Those 10.5 tackles for loss are kind of an insane number in today’s game at the position he plays. Lewis is a captain of this Oklahoma defense, and pairing him with Owen Heinecke again gives the Sooners one of the better linebacker duos in the SEC.
If Lewis can replicate the same season he had last year, he should be a finalist for some type of national award at the end of the year. A first-team preseason All-American nod from Phil Steele is the right starting point.
Tate Sandell and the rest of the honorees
We all know what Sandell did last year. He won the award for the best kicker in the country, and it wasn’t close. Sandell finished 35-for-35 on extra points and 24-for-27 on field goals (88.9%), scoring 107 points. He drilled 50-yard field goal after 50-yard field goal, some of them in massive moments like the kicks against Tennessee. A second-team selection feels light for a guy who was the best at his position nationally, but the recognition is still well earned.
Ben Anderson rounds out the first-team selections at long snapper. Anderson has been a reliable piece of the Sooners’ special teams unit, and getting first-team preseason recognition at a position that rarely gets attention speaks to how consistent he’s been.
Isaiah Sategna could be the breakout star of 2026
The fourth-team selection that stands out most is Sategna, who I think is one of the most slept-on wide receivers in college football. On a bad offense last year, he still nearly hit 1,000 receiving yards, finishing with 965 yards and eight receiving touchdowns. He made crucial plays all season, whether it was a punt return or the touchdown against LSU.
Oklahoma is going to need him even more this year. He’s the clear No. 1 wide receiver in this new-look offense with new pass catchers all around him. If the Sooners’ offensive improvement is real, Sategna’s numbers should jump significantly. A fourth-team preseason nod might look modest by December.
All five of these Sooners earned their preseason recognition, and all five could have huge years in 2026. The talent Oklahoma returns, especially on the defensive side of the ball, should have fans feeling good about where this program is headed.